Chris Avila clashes with YouTube star ‘Dr. Mike’ on Paul vs. Silva undercard
The undercard for the upcoming Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva pay-per-view is starting to come together with two new fights announced including UFC and Bellator veteran Chris Avila taking on YouTube celebrity “Dr. Mike.”
Most Valuable Promotions — the company owned by Paul and former UFC executive Nakisa Bidarian — announced the new matchups on Tuesday.
BOOM! Dr. Mike makes his pro debut versus Chris Avila, who is 1-1 as a pro boxer, opening the #PaulSilva pay-per-view on SAT OCT 29.
— Most Valuable Promotions (@MostVpromotions) September 20, 2022
Other than Jake Paul, Dr. Mike is the first “YouTube creator” to get in the ring with a professional fighter in a sanctioned pro fight. pic.twitter.com/OetZKZa4Om
Avila, who counts Nate Diaz and Nick Diaz as two of his closest friends and teammates, will return to the boxing ring after picking up a majority decision over Anthony Taylor as part of the same card where Paul face Tyron Woodley in a rematch this past December.
Overall, Avila holds a 1-1 record in professional boxing but he’ll look to get a second win while competing in the opening bout on the pay-per-view broadcast on Showtime.
His opponent is 32-year-old physician Mikhail Varshavski — known professionally as Dr. Mike — after a Buzzfeed article brought attention to his Instagram page before People Magazine later called him “the sexiest doctor alive.”
Varshavski used his newfound popularity to begin offering health advice on his social media accounts before eventually moving to YouTube where he answered questions from viewers while also raising awareness to combat misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Back in May, Varshavski made his amateur boxing debut with a win in an influencer boxing event and now he’ll make his first appearance in a professional fight against Avila on Oct. 29.
The card will also feature undefeated 18-year-old prospect Ashton Sylve as he faces Braulio Rodriguez in a featured bout as well.
MVPs 18 year old sensation, Ashton “H2O” Sylve is taking on Braulio Rodriguez who is 20-4 with 17 KOs.
— Most Valuable Promotions (@MostVpromotions) September 20, 2022
Rodriguez has scored knockouts in all but three of his wins thanks to an aggressive, go for the kill style.
Ashton enters the ring with a 7-0 record with 7 KOs.#PaulSilva pic.twitter.com/g7S3C0KShb
Sylve signed to Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions after racking up an impressive 7-0 resume with all of his fights ending by way of knockout. He’ll look to make it eight in a row when he faces Rodriguez, who boasts a 20-4 professional record with 17 knockouts along the way.
The two new fights join the main event where Paul will face his stiffest test to date when facing a UFC legend in Silva, who also holds a win over multi-division boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.